The morning after shore leave had always been hell, no matter how much fun the night before had been. After bidding goodbye to the navy Owen had never truly kicked the habit of having too much fun, to the chagrin of those around him. Those that didn't know him personally, at least Part of the charms of working on a tropical island meant that it wasn't difficult to find some peace and quiet. His little slice of heaven, Isla de Owen, was just that place. Away from the hustle and bustle of the main park, five minutes from his girls, it meant he could recover from his Friday nights in peace.

So when he awoke to the sound of a helicopter, a groan was the only noise he could muster as he rose from where he had collapsed the night before. Running a hand through his disheveled hair, he turned to the door when a knock sounded from it. Grumbling, he checked the time to see it was five past too damn early. Intent on giving the culprit a piece of his mind, he stood and stumbled towards the door.

"Alright," He cleared his throat, swinging open the door. "Where's the damn fire and why-"

Coming face to face with Simon Masrani, the tangent Owen had been preparing abruptly went up in smoke. For his part, the CEO merely gave him a cheeky smile.

"No fire, Mr. Grady, simply business," He said, nodding back to the helicopter resting nearby. "Would you be kind enough to come with me?"

Owen struggled for a response, fatigue still clouding his bewildered mind.

"After you gather your bearings, of course," Masrani offered.

"Yeah, I-Yeah, yes sir," Owen straightened. "I'll be with you in, ah, five minutes?"

"Of course. You know where I'll be."

Closing the door, Owen began to move about his small trailer as a blur, pulling off his old clothes and attempting to find something relatively fresh and presentable. Four minutes and forty five seconds later he stepped out of his home, freshly dressed and with half of a hastily made pot of coffee in his empty stomach. Approaching the helicopter, he saw Mr. Masrani and another man waiting for him, the former as chipper as before and the later appearing slightly nervous. From what, Owen couldn't guess.

"Do you feel better now, Mr. Grady?" Masrani asked as Owen strapped himself into a seat. Before he had managed to actually buckle himself in the CEO had taken off, causing the trainer's stomach to sink considerably as he slid about in his seat.

"I'll live," Owen said. "If I may ask, sir, where exactly are we going?"

"You are aware of our project in the northern half of the island, yes?" Masrani asked.

Of course he knew. Everyone knew, at least enough to figure out that something big was being cooked up. Exact details had been kept scarce at best, and as ever, access to the northern half of the island was restricted to only a select few. And most of them were part of the ACU.

"Bits and pieces," Owen admitted. "Only rumors, though."

"Then my staff have been earning their pay, then," Masrani mused. "Tell me, how comes progress with your 'girls?'"

While some had given him some flak for taking to his charges as well as he had, the CEO's tone was only that of honest interest.

"Good, overall. They listen more often than not, know how to follow my commands, and keep out of trouble. Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"They tend to take after me more than I'd like."

"I see," Masrani chuckled. "Your honesty is refreshing, I must say. People here seem to think I only want results, when in truth, I simply wish for an honest answer to my questions. Is it truly so difficult to do?"

The trainer merely answered with a shrug as the helicopter ascended, skirting over the tree line as they made their way over the mountain separating the two halves of the island. Clearing it, Owen saw various buildings scattered about, both paddocks and staff facilities. In truth it didn't fit the near mystical reputation the southern staff held for it, but Owen supposed that was for the best. The knot in his gut hadn't left since he'd gotten on the helicopter.

"Your reputation with your raptors is well known across the island, and all my queries about you have been nothing but positive. Professionally, at least."

Catching the CEO's amused look in the mirror, Owen had the good grace to offer a sheepish smile.

"Because of this," Masrani continued, "I have come to you as a possible answer to our problems. Our most recent addition to the park, coined the Indominus Rex, has proven...difficult. We've gone through nearly our entire reserve of possible trainers; previous handlers of Rexie, primarily. Sadly, they've all walked away in the end. I was hoping that, with your fabled 'magic touch,' you might have better results."

With a name like that, Owen doubted it was going to be a tiny, cute, herbivore. No, that'd be too much to ask for.

"I can give it a shot, but I can't promise anything," Owen said.

Masrani's only answer was a pleased hum, and with that the remainder of the journey passed in silence. Wracking his brain, Owen came up blank when thinking of anything with the name he'd been told. His guess, both from his head and his gut, was big, toothy, and scary.

They set down next to one of the larger paddocks, and the one sporting the most personnel around it. Construction workers, primarily, with a dozen ACU troopers standing about, appearing bored. As the helicopter's engine died and the CEO's piloting instructor emptied his stomach in a nearby bush, Owen fell into step beside Masrani as they approached.

"So, what kind of species is the Indominus?" He asked.

"That, we hope, will be the million dollar question," Masrani answered. "The Indominus is the first of her kind; the brainchild of Dr. Wu and his science team."

At that Owen halted in his tracks, causing the CEO to continue several more steps before pausing and turning, regarding the trainer curiously.

"You...created a new dinosaur?" Owen asked. "Like, from scratch?"

"We did," Masrani nodded. "I understand your reaction, Mr. Grady. Many others that I have spoken to felt the same at first, but you must understand. After ten years of introducing new species of dinosaur, we've all but depleted the 'cream of the crop,' so to speak. All the ones people know and love already exist in our park, and as such, sales and attendance have dropped. We need something new to regain public attention, and the Indominus is exactly that."

Having seen almost every science fiction movie on the planet, every part of this simply screamed 'bad idea.' However, Masrani seemed confident on the matter, and more importantly, he signed Owen's paycheck. So for better or worse, Owen bit his cheek and continued following him. Entering the adjacent observation center next to the paddock, Owen soon found himself staring out a number of large windows, into a dense jungle within the paddock itself.

"So what exactly did you mix when you made her?" Owen asked, watching for movement.

"The dominant gene would be that of the Tyrannosaurus. There are dozens of others, but I simply cannot remember so many syllables attached to so many names," Masrani explained, chuckling.

"That, or you simply weren't paying attention," A new voice said, and Owen turned to see a scientist enter the room. "And Rexie, bless her, can't hold a candle to Indominus. She's one of the smartest dino's we've made to date, including your raptors."

Owen thought to argue the authenticity of that last comment, but decided to let it slid. She was appeared to be in her mid-40's, her brown hair done up into a tight bun, with an expression of mild displeasure etched clear onto her face. However, when she turned to face Owen, her expression softened a fraction, extending a hand.

"Dr. Amanda Strauss," She said. "Head researcher for Indominus, and the closest thing to a permanent caretaker she has."

"Owen Grady," He answered, taking her hand and shaking. "Nice to meet you."

"I've heard a thing or two about you, Grady," Amanda said. "Mr. Masrani says you have what it takes to handle her. All I can say is, good luck."

"Where is she?" Owen asked, turning back to the window. "Hard to believe a dino with Rexie's genes could keep out of sight in such a small enclosure."

"Teams are currently working on expanding it, hence the extra personnel," Masrani explained. "Indominus has grown larger than we had expected."

"How big are we talking here?" Owen asked.

Amanda began to answer, but was cut off as an alarm blared, drowning out her voice. From the jungle within, a low, rumbling howl sounded as an explosion of dust and sand appeared over the treeline beyond.

"Indominus attempting breakout, I say again, Indominus attempting escape!" a voice over the radio called, followed by dozens of other people speaking at once.

"The hell's going on out there?" Owen asked.

"Report!" Masrani demanded.

"Cameras are obscured by the cloud she kicked up," A staff member stationed at a nearby terminal said. "Looks like she's trying to get her way through a section of the wall that's under expansion."

"ACU on station and moving," Another reported. "Air units inbound in thirty."

Another roar sounded, this time followed by the sound of concrete shattering. From a nearby terminal showing the body camera of an ACU trooper, Owen saw pieces of the paddock wall go tumbling away, engulfing several workers. A shadow, taller and longer than Rexie, briefly appeared through the shroud.

"Indominus is out! Code Black, Code Black!"

While Masrani stared at the display in shock, Amanda looked to Owen to find him gone. The trainer in question burst through the door leading back outside, finding construction workers hastily fleeing indoors while ACU troopers, both on foot and in buggies, took off into the jungle nearby. Others moved to loop around to the breach she had made, and Owen wordlessly followed behind them.

There, he found a transport truck flipped on its side, a large section of the wall gone, and the scaffolding that had previously been next to it warped and ripped to pieces. Several workers were still nearby, some lightly battered from a bad fall off the scaffold or falling debris, while one unlucky man lay with a piece of wall laying over his left leg.

"Hey, you!" An ACU trooper called out, kneeling next to the trapped man. "Gimme a hand here!"

Making his way to the injured man's side, he knelt down and took a firm grip on the concrete. Looking up at the ACU trooper, who gave him a nod, they both heaved. The worker groaned in pain, half conscious, but the piece of wall gave way little by little until the two men shoved it aside completely.

"The hell are you doing out here, man?" The trooper asked him.

"I'm still asking that myself," Owen answered. "Is he alright?"

"Looks like he's going into shock, but medical'll be here any second."

Looking over the man, Owen paused as a warm gust of air washed over him. Being the middle of December, even for a tropical island, it was just a little out of place. Looking back towards the breach, he found himself staring up at who he could only assume to be the dino of the hour.

Indominus Rex.

Hearing a muttered curse beside him, Owen assumed the trooper had followed his gaze. Indominus, still within the perimeter fence, was leaned forward, using its arms to keep it upright as it hovered over the debris to stare at the trio of humans. Red eyes, almost shining, stared down at Owen. True to Amanda's word, she stood at tall as Rexie, and just as long, but everything about her screamed intimidation, white scales rippling across toned muscle.

Swallowing the rock in his throat, Owen waited for his career to come to an end at any moment. However, as the agonizing seconds ticked by, Indominus remained where she was, watching him. Only now remembering to breathe, the trainer took one last breath before slowly beginning to stand. Eyes narrowing, Indominus growled lowly as Owen stood up. However, she made no attempt to move, merely voicing her apparent disproval.

"Hey," Owen muttered. "Get him outta here. Now."

"What about you?" The ACU trooper answered in a similarly hushed tone.

"She's taken a liking to me. You just make a quiet exit, alright?"

Not answering, Indominus' gaze switched to the trooper as he began to move the wounded worker. To Owen's horror she raised up to her normal height and took a step forward. Another step would put her right on top of them, so Owen did the only thing that came to mind.

"Whoa!" He called out, raising a hand.

Startled by the abrupt noise, Indominus shrunk back and snapped her attention back to Owen, lips pulling back ever so slightly to reveal a line of razor sharp teeth as she growled.

"Keep those eyes on me, darlin'," Owen said, keeping his tone soft but loud enough for her to hear. "You wanna eat somebody? Take a bite outta me. Chances are I'll play hell with your liver, so I'll at least go down swingin'."

A quiet rumble sounded from the beast, and for a brief moment Owen thought she was laughing at him. Then a green dot appeared on the crest of her head, followed by another. It was then he heard the helicopters fast approaching to his right. It was at that point Indominus seemed to recognize the sound as well, as she craned her head upwards to stare at the pair of ACU helicopters hovering above her.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Owen called out, taking a step forward. "Down here, darlin', down here!"

Though clearly agitated, Indominus returned her attention down to him. Briefly glancing at the air units, Owen raised his hand, palm outwards, at them. The other was raised and facing Indominus.

"The doc said you're some kinda smart dino, so hear me out, alright?" He said. "You're in enough trouble as it is. Do us a favor and take a big ole step backwards."

She stared at him blankly.

"…please?"

Letting out a rugged puff of air, Indominus kept her eyes focused on Owen. However, her right leg slowly lifted and began to move backwards. Almost as the same time, one of the dots that had appeared on her had drifted down to her neck, and with a muffled pop a tranquilizer dart lodged itself into her skin.

"No, damn it!" Owen shouted, but it was too late. Throwing himself to the ground, he looked up to see Indominus turn, tail whipping above him, and vanishing deeper inside the paddock. Behind him, he heard the sounds of the ACU buggies, and the shouting of the men on them. The part of him that enjoyed living and seeing another day screamed at him to call it a day and tell Masrani just what he thought of this Indominus and where he could shove her. To return back to his trailer and sleep for a week.

Instead, he scrambled to his feet and crawled up the small pile of rubble that stood between him and the paddock interior.

"Hey!" A familiar voice called, and Owen turned to see the ACU trooper returning with backup. "Wait up you crazy bastard!"

Ignoring him, Owen jumped the remainder of the way, landing on his feet and breaking into a sprint. Indominus had left a trail of destruction in her wake, knocking over trees, trampling foliage, and generally making a mess of things. However, the angry roars of defiance that had filled the air moments ago had vanished.

All at once the birth left behind by the giant dino vanished, the jungle further ahead untouched. It was as if Indominus vanished from thin air. Briefly, Owen feared he'd fallen for another of her tricks, and twirled around to see what was behind him. To his relief he found nothing, only the distant approaching figures of the ACU team.

Over his shoulder, a noise caught his attention, causing him to turn once more. Looking farther down, a figure lay among the fallen greenery. Having thrown personal safety to the wind so far, Owen knelt down and brushed aside the various pieces of jungle covering it.

As the ACU team arrived Owen found what lay beneath it all. It was a girl, most likely in her late teens, laying on the ground, naked as the day she was born, skin pale as if it were made from porcelain. Her hair was splayed out around her, snow white.

Mouth hanging open, brain trying to understand what his eyes were telling him, the ACU troopers moved to form a loose circle around her, rifles ready.

"Hey!" Owen growled, snapping to his senses. "The hell are you guys doing?"

"Indominus pacified," One of the troopers spoke into his radio. "All units, stand down."

Hearing the woman groan, Owen looked back down to see her eyes briefly flutter open. Irises the color of deep crimson looked up at him for the briefest moment before they closed once more. Seeing her current condition, Owen grumbled quietly to himself as he unbuttoned his only good shirt and placed it over her. Thankful he'd decided to wear something under it, he scratched his head as he stared down at the girl.

Masrani had some explaining to do.

A lot of explaining.

This is dumb, and I feel dumb for writing it, but it amuses me, thus making the previous points moot.

Caught your interest? Tell me! A review goes a long way to show an author you care, and gives'em reason to keep on doing what they're doing. So if you wanna find out what fate befalls Owen and Indominus, let me know!